Illuminated sign

ABSTRACT

AN ILLUMINATED SIGN HAS A HOUSING, A PLASTIC SIGN FACE WITH EMBOSSED INDICIA COVERING THE HOUSING, AND A LIGHT SOURCE AND REFLECTOR WITHIN THE HOUSING. THE REFLECTOR COMPRISES A WRINKLED FOIL SHEET THAT REFLECTS LIGHT THROUGH THE EMBOSSED INDICIA IN AN IRREGULAR PATTERN. THE INDICIA IS OF VARYING THICKNESS AND HAS SURFACE IRREGULARITIES TO DIFFUSE LIGHT IN AN IRREGULAR PATTERN. UPON VIEWING THE SURFACE OF THE INDICIA WHILE MOVING PAST IT, THE IRREGULAR LIGHT PATTERNS APPEAR TO GIVE AN ILLUSION OF MOTION TO THE INDICIA.

Jail. 12, 1971 w, sw -rz v 3,553,868

ILLUMINATED S IGN Filed Aug. 8, 1968 INVENTOR WILLIAM H. SWARTZ United States Patent 3,553,868 ILLUMINATED SIGN William Swartz, Highland Park, Ill. (1430 W. wrightwood Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60614) Filed Aug. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 751,107 Int. Cl. G09f 13/34 US. Cl. 40-10652 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An illuminated sign has a housing, a plastic sign face with embossed indicia covering the housing, and a light source and reflector within the housing. The reflector comprises a wrinkled foil sheet that reflects light through the embossed indicia in an irregular pattern. The indicia is of variyng thickness and has surface irregularities to diffuse light in an irregular pattern. Upon viewing the surface of the indicia while moving past it, the irregular light patterns appear to give an illusion of motion to the indicia.

This invention relates to improvements in illuminated signs, particularly those used for advertising purposes.

It is an object of this invention to provide an illuminated sign in which the indicia of the sign creates to the viewer the illusion of motion, thereby enhancing the attention-getting qualities of the sign. This illusion of motion does not require moving parts but is effected entirely by the use of novel light-reflecting and light-diffusion techniques. The materials employed to create this effect are relatively inexpensive, and the entire sign is relatively easy to fabricate at moderate cost.

It is a further and more specific object of this invention to provide a sign of the type stated having a light reflector, a sign face with embossed indicia, and a light source between the reflector and sign face. The light reflector comprises a reflecting sheet of metal foil that has been wrinkled to provide irregular light-reflecting properties. The indicia is translucent so that the reflecting surface is visible therethrough. Also, the indicia has surface irregularities and is of irregular thickness, both of which enhance the irregular diffusion of light reflected from the reflector and passing through the indicia. Furthermore, the indicia, or each character of the indicia, may have a darkened enveloping border portion which contrasts in color with the clear central portion of the indicia. This tends to accentuate the clear or lighter part of the indicia at which the principal illusion of movement appears. l

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front-elevational view, partly broken away, of an illuminated sign constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2, 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front-elevational view, on an enlarged scale, and showing a part of the indicia of the sign face; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4, 4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now in more detail to the drawing, 1 designates an illuminated sign comprising a sheet metal housing 2 having a top wall 3, a bottomwall 4 and a back wall 6. The front of the housing 2 is open. The top wall 3 and bottom wall 4 each has flanges 7, 8 bridged by a righthand end flange 10 for receiving and supporting a closureice The sign face 9 is slit from the left to the right, as

seen in FIG. 1, until the right-hand edge thereof is overlaid by the flange 10. The sign face 9 may be a sheet of white translucent plastic material (or opaque material) with embossed indicia 11 thereon consisting of one or more letters, numerals, symbols, etc. which are translucent or preferably transparent or semi-transparent, and of a color different from that of the main part of the sheet 9.

Mounted within the housing 2 is cardboard sheet 12 covered by a wrinkled sheet of reflecting metal foil that provides a reflecting surface 13. The sheet 12 extends substantially beyond the ends of the indicia 11. The upper end of the sheet 12 is disposed along the inside of the top wall while the lower portion of the sheet 12 curves away from the back wall 6 toward the sign face 9 and p with the lower edge of the sheet 12 being bonded to the housing 2 by pressure-sensitive tape 16. Between the sheet 12 and sign face 10 is a fluorescent lighting tube 19 that is supported in conventional sockets. This tube 19 extends the full length of the housing and constitutes a distributed light source between the light-reflecting surface 13 and the sign face 9. A conventional ballast and starter (neither shown) for the tube 19 may be suitably mounted within the housing behind the reflector sheet 12.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, each indicia character may be of irregular thickness along its side 21 and front face 22. Each is formed with surface irregularities 23 which include sharp-line indentations similar to scratches. Each indicia character has a border portion 4 which covers the side face 21 and a portion of the front face 23 and which is darker than the central portion 26, the latter being suflicently clear to permit visibility therethrough of the surface 13. The part of the sign face 9 remote from the indicia 11 is preferably translucent enough to permit passage of light from the tube 19. The tube 19 is preferably mounted above the upper extent of the indicia. The curve at the lower portion of the reflector sheet tends to increase the amount of light at the lower part of the housing so that light of approximately uniform intensity is maintained behind the indicia.

The sign may be suppported in any conventional manner, for instance in front of a window. With the tube 19 illuminated, a viewer moving past the sign face 9 gets the illusion of movement or sparkle from the indicia 11, the brightest sparkle being at the central portion 26 of each character, This illusion results from the irregular light-reflecting qualities of the reflector surface 13 and the irregular light-diffusing properties of the indicia 11 because for each new position of the viewer he sees a different irregular pattern of light emanating from the sign.

The precise constructions herein shown are illustrative of the principles of the invention. What is considered new and sought to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sign comprising a housing, a sign face mounted on the housing, a light source and light-reflecting means within the housing, said light-reflecting means having a light-reflecting surface with means forming irregular lightreflecting properties and from which light from the light source is reflected toward the sign face, said sign face having translucent indicia and said light-reflecting surface beingvisible through said indicia, said indicia including a side face and a front face, there being a border portion on the side face which extends .into the front face, said border portion being of a color that contrasts with the part of the indicia enveloped thereby, said indicia having means forming irregular light-diffusing properties and through which said reflected light passes whereby a viewer of said indicia will observe a constantly varying light pattern therefrom and from said light-reflecting surface upon relative movement of the viewer and the sign face, and said border portion tends to accentuate said enveloped part of the indicia at which the principal illusion of movement appears.

2. A sign according to claim 1 in which said means forming said irregular light-reflecting properties of the light-reflecting surface comprises a wrinkled sheet of material.

3. A sign according to claim 1 in which said indicia comprises an embossed portion of a translucent sheet, said embossed portion having surface irregularities and being of irregular thickness.

4. A sign according to claim 1 in which said means forming said irregular light-reflecting properties of said light-reflecting surface comprises a wrinkled sheet of material, said indicia comprises an embossed portion of a translucent sheet and with said embossed portion having surface irregularities and being of irregular thickness, and said light source is of sufficient extent within the housing to provide light of approximately uniform intensity behind the indicia.

5. A sign according to claim 1 in which said light source is located between the light-reflecting material and the indicia to illuminate also the indicia.

References Cited ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner R. CARTER, Assistant Examiner US Cl. X.R. 4%137 

